Are You Prepared for Tornado Season?

What Should I Know?

A tornado can strike at any time of the year, but they are most popular March-May in the southern states, and summer months for the northern states. 

They are more likely to strike between 3:00pm-9:00pm, but can occur during any hour of the day. 

 

Tornadoes are categorized by the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The higher the number, the more damage is will probably occur. 

It is vital to know the difference between a tornado warning and a tornado watch. A tornado watch means that a storm is coming, and there is a possibility of a tornado. A warning means that there is already a tornado in the area. 

    What Should I Do During a Tornado?    

          

What Should I do After a Tornado?

How Do I Prepare?

1.     Have a plan before the storm strikes

2.     Have an emergency kit

3.     Know the dangers and signs for tornadoes

1.     Dark greenish skies

2.     Large hail

3.     Low clouds; especially if they are rotating

4.     Loud roar

5.     Any alerts being broad casted

4.     Have a list of your assets/valuables in case damage occurs to your property

Flooding: What You May or May Not Already Know

With the beauty of Springtime, the deadliness of floods come. The snow starts melting, and spring storms start coming.
Many places are already seeing the effects of these deadly floods.

Kauai, Hawaii is in a state of emergency, and dealing with mudslides because of their flash floods. Below are pictures that depict the damages that occurred.

Flooding happens, what should we do or not do during the floods?

Weather.com gives us nine great examples of the worst things you can do during a flood:

1. Drive in flooded waters, you don't know how deep it is, or how little of water it will actually take to sweep your car away. According to ready.gov "just two feet of moving water can sweep an SUV off the road".
2. Use electricity in a flooded home
3. Get in the flood water, as there could be sewage, disease, and/or dangerous animals 
4. Play with the wild animals
5. Ignore flood warnings
6. Not having a flood emergency kit
7. Leaving things on and plugged in when you evacuate your home
8. Not being properly dressed
9. Leaving important belongings on the main floor where the flood will likely get them. 

So what should you do during a flood?

1. Go to high ground
2. Avoid the areas that are currently flooded
3. Never drive in the water

After the flood ensure that you:

1. Check for any damage
2. Get all the wet objects including carpet, as it can mold in 24-48 hours
3. Clean and disinfect everything that the flood water touched
4. Create a plan before repairing
5. File for your flood insurance claim. Remember, only flood insurance will help you when a flood happens. 

To make sure you are prepared and ready for flood season, the following are suggested:

1. Create an emergency plan, and ensure everyone living in the home knows it
2. Create a home inventory list for the insurance companies
3. Ensure you have flood insurance, as other insurance types most likely won't cover flood damage

Be prepared with emergency survival kits, as well as food and water storage. You never know how long you will have to go without modern conveniences. 

Nature is Taking its Toll

Weather tends to be unpredictable. The winter storm Xanto struck many northern states this past week. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, the storm broke the record for the heaviest snow fall in April, and 2nd for the heaviest snowfall of all-time.

Wisconsin was not the only state effected. Below is what weather.com reported as "some of the top snow and ice reports from Xanto".

To help ensure safe travels during the snow, seven tips are given by the U.S.News:

1. Drive slow and know your car's breaks
2. Even with all-wheel drive you can still slide
3. If possible don't stop, and when you do give yourself time
4. Use snow tires or chains
5. Be prepared for the worst
6. Make sure the exhaust pipe is clear
7. Make sure you can see

The North wasn't the only ones to get hit hard. Tornadoes have been wreaking havoc through the South. Virginia declared a state of emergency. Louisiana and North Carolina had deaths, and a lot of damage occurred to Arkansas and many other states. People had been evacuated, saving lives, but some were still hurt. A mother was saved by the jaws of life, after being pinned under a tree that fell on her motor home.

Property was damaged.

Cars were flipped.

And houses were demolished.

With the possibility of unpredictable weather, and the start of tornado season, ensure that you are prepared with some type of emergency kit, automobile kit, and food storage. You never know when an evacuation will occur, your car will get stuck, or your house will be damaged.

What Do Natural Disasters Mean for Me?

Natural disasters have been around long before man. They are natural occurrences of the earth. Places flood. The earth shakes. There is nothing inherently wrong with these events until it disrupts life. Thousands of earthquakes aren’t felt, but they are there. Some happen in the middle of the ocean, so we don’t notice. One thing is for sure in life; there will always be uncertainty. Scientists are getting better at predicting some natural disasters. We can live in denial and hope for the best. Nothing is wrong with hope. The issue is when that denial and hope disrupt us from being prepared. Natural disasters will happen. That is one thing we can be certain about in life. We should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Earthquakes

Let us first start with the increase of earthquakes. On February 16^th, there was a total of 78 earthquakes. 48 of which were magnitude 3, 27 were magnitude 4, and 3 were magnitude 5. Luckily most earthquakes are small, and hardly felt.

Mexico, however, has been one of the unlucky ones. On February 16^th, there was a 7.2 earthquake. Then again on the 19^th they had another earthquake magnitude 5.7. In the past 7 days, they have had 66 earthquakes.

Flooding

Hawaii has had flash floods. This lead to evacuations and rescue missions. The Honolulu Fire department set out to rescue passengers in cars that were swept up. The rescue was lead by a person who drove a bulldozer into the water. This allowed the firefighters to get closer to the cars and get the passengers out.

New Zealand has had flooding and strong winds from the Cyclone Gita. It is possible to have 90 mph winds. Landslides are also likely. The places in the South Island have declared state of emergency.

The Buller Distract Mayor Garry Howard said, “this is not a good situation for those in seafront properties”. Below is a picture of a man's farm in Balnham after the flooding. 

Chicago and Michigan both have possible flooding.

What people are doing because of the natural disasters?

After Hurricane Irma, Florida is making improvements. They are reworking evacuation routes.  

Another big problem they had was fuel. When evacuations happen, cars need gas. This is what it looked like getting ready for hurricane Irma.

Many improvements are being made as shown below. 

Learning and improving is vital to our existence. Florida has made great strides in improving their evacuation plans. Hopefully it helps fix some kinks that they have been having.  

What natural disasters mean for investors?

Have you ever thought about buying property somewhere by the beach? Maybe California? These places have seen many natural disasters. From this, much property has been destroyed. Yet, people are still buying property in these places. 

Hurricane Harvey caused $125 billion in damage in Houston Texas.

This hasn't changed people's minds for buying property here. Last year the 219 weather disasters caused $1.5 trillion in damages across the United States. Below is a graph showing how disaster costs have changed over the years.

Billy Grayson, the Executive Director for Center of Sustainability and Economic Performance said, "If you think that insurance is always going to cover you, you have to recognize insurance changes every year".

Hurricane Irma caused a lot of damage in Florida. $50 billion to be exact.

Arthur J. Gallagher, the chairman of a large real estate fund, and Alexandra Glickman, the director, pulled out of investing in Florida. Insurance costs were high. Maintaining the properties was costly. They were at high risk of flooding and mold.

There is nothing we can do to change natural disasters. They are a part of life. However, we can change how we prepare for and react to them. We should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. 

The Tragedy of Our Reality

The tragedy of our reality

It is only February 14^th, yet in 2018 there have been many school shootings already. The first occurred on January 10^th in Sierra Vista, Arizona. On January 20^th a 21-year-old was fatally shot at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina during a fraternity event. A 14-year-old committed suicide in the school bathroom. On January 22^nd in Italy, Texas, a 16-year-old shot and wounded a fellow classmate in the middle of the cafeteria. The same day another shooting occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana. A 14-year-old opened fire in the parking lot injuring a student. On January 23^rd in Benton, Kentucky, a 15-year-old killed two students and injured 18 others. On February 1^st in Los Angeles, California, a 12-year-old shot two students. In Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 5^th a student was shot in the parking lot. Today, February 14^th, a gunman open fired in a high school in Parkland, Florida. It is reported that there were at least 14 victims, the death total is unclear. A suspect has been taken into custody, and has been identified as a former student. The government is aware of what is happening, and working with law enforcement as investigations are underway.  

The scary thing is that since 2013, there have been 290 school shootings in America alone.

What is being done for prevention?

This is a valid question, and one that has been trying to be answered for years.

The most current thing that has been done in January was the United States Army developing a first-person video game. This game is intended to be used to help teach the user how to react if they ever encounter an active shooter. This game will help teachers to be able to know what the best practices are if they are ever in a shooting situation. It can teach cops how to handle a shooter, as well as other security.  

Hope for the Best, but Plan for the Worst

Natural disasters are going on all around us, even if we are oblivious to them.

How many of us knew that Paris is flooding, that California had deadly mudslides, or that Albay in the Philippines is getting ready for a possible three-month emergency!

The river Seine is rising in Paris. It has forced over 650 people to evacuate their homes, so they can be safe. The end isn’t even in sight.

Back in 1910 there was a time that a lot of Paris was under water for a couple months! Water levels are predicted to reach 6 meters, or 20 feet, above what is normal. As of this morning it was already 5.7 meters above the normal levels. As seen in the picture below. 

California is Sliding!

Weeks ago deadly mudslides occurred in the Santa Barbara area. It is believed that it was due to heavy rainfall and the recent fires as depicted in this image.

An evacuation was given displacing many families for the second time in the past couple months. The pictures below show the extensive damage done. However, no one can forget the 20 people were killed, and others are missing. Rescue missions were put into place that saved a lot of lives.

Legazpi City is Burning!

In the Philippines, Mount Mayon has erupted, spewing lava and ash all over Albay. 

Officials there are saying that they are getting ready for a three months emergency! more than 81,000 people have already evacuated. The rain that has fallen has done more harm than good. The picture below depicts how the rivers are now running with volcanic debris.

The threat level this volcano has caused is a threat level of 4, and that is on a five-point scale. 

Some experts believe that the worse is yet to come. Because of the bulging sides, it is believed that a powerful eruption is yet to come.  

Natural disasters are nothing new. One thing we can count on from life is that it is unpredictable. The best way to help reign in the chaos of life is to be prepared and come together. Many lives are saved through evacuations, and many are rescued when we band together. FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, has said that “disasters are not avoidable”, “but you can be ready for them”. We should “hope for the best, but plan for the worst”. 

Is the Worst Earthquake Yet to Come in 2018?

How safe are you? Did you know that scientists are saying the number of earthquakes could double this year? 

We are still in January, and yet we have seen THREE major earthquakes clocking in over a magnitude of 7! When the 7.9 occurred in Alaska on the 23^rd of January, there was much fear of it creating a tsunami in the west coast. Lucky for us, it only was a few inches high, but it could have been a lot worse. This earthquake was bad enough to affect Florida, which is on the other side of the country!

I can't help but ask myself, what if it was a higher magnitude? Sure, a magnitude 8.0 or higher don’t occur often, but when they do, they can completely destroy the area where they happen.

It is being estimated that the earthquake count will double this year. Below is a map of the earthquakes that occurred last year. As you can see, most of the earthquakes were small ones in the middle of the ocean, that really aren’t felt.

However, there have been big ones. Last year there was a devastating earthquake that occurred in Mexico. It was a magnitude of 8.1, and killed over 90 people. They had a tsunami hit, and one of the waves was reported being 5.8 feet.

With the possibilities of earthquakes doubling, that also means there are greater odds of the higher magnitude earthquakes occurring. Below is a map showing how far the intensity of the earthquake, that occurred Mexico, spread. Keep in mind, this is only feeling the earthquake. Not the after affects like the ones seen in Florida from the smaller earthquake in Alaska.

You may be asking yourself, why now? What is making the scientists believe this? The rotation of the earth has a lot of impact on earthquakes. There are devices that are used to measure the motion deep inside the earth’s core. If the earth spins faster or slower, by even a millisecond, then it can impact what we feel on the surface. However, it takes about 5-6 years for this impact to make its way up to the surface. An occurrence of this was measured back in 2011. At the end of last year, we saw quite a few earthquakes, as well as with the beginning of this year.

Projections of where these earthquakes will occur have been done. Back in 2015 a World Risk Report came out as seen in the picture below. This shows which places are at risk.

The equator can be seen as a danger zone. The reasoning if this is that it is the widest point of Earth. That means that it also rotates the fastest. When there is a slowing of the rotation of the Earth, this is the point that is going to be impacted the most.

Of course, what areas at risk should be taken with a grain of salt. There was a 7.9 earthquake that occurred in Alaska, even though this map shows they have a lower risk.